


The Mansion

by toonbot



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: But if you haven't watched the show then why are you reading this?, Don't say I didn't warn you, Gen, Go watch the show then come back and read this, If you've watched the show before you know what Zim and Dib's interactions are like, It really shouldn't be a surprise, Or read this and have the show potentially spoiled, ZADF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21901525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toonbot/pseuds/toonbot
Summary: When the legend of an old mansion catches Dib's attention, who knows what horrors wait for him?
Relationships: Dib and Zim (as friends)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. The Forest

The wind was cold and sharp. In this part of the forest, if you were to be mauled by a bear, nobody would be able to hear you scream. Dib Membrane knew this as he walked through the dark, cold woods. He kept a flashlight trained on the trees, in case anybody had the bright idea of jumping out at him. Trying to not show fear was difficult, with all of the whistling from the trees and crunching of leaves under the boy’s feet putting him slightly on edge. He quickly turned around, shining the light on the trees, and looking at them as if something were to appear. Dib gulped and continued to walk, starting to wonder if this was an extremely bad idea. Sure, he could prove the legend, but at what price? Would he get killed? Would he have to deal with an unbearable curse? He shuddered at the thought of never coming home, but shook it off as he proceeded to walk ahead.

The boy looked around, and sat down on a nearby rock. He pulled out the briefcase that he was carrying with him and opened it. He set his flashlight down and took out a journal book and a pen. _So far, so good. Haven’t come across the mansion yet, but I feel I’m close. As long as nothing gets in my way, I should be fine._ Dib signed off, and tucked the journal and pen back into their slots in the briefcase. He stood up and stretched, then started to walk towards his destination.

The sound of chirping from the cicadas was deafening. Dib covered one of his ears, and winced. He wanted to keep one open, in case he heard something that would help his mission. A dark shadow loomed over him, and he looked up. A giant mansion stood in front of him. “This is the place.” He murmured to himself. The Zacross Mansion. Legend has it, the entire family died there in one night. Nobody knows how. It’s said that the spirits of the family haunt the mansion. And Dib was determined to discover why. He put a foot on one of the steps, and cringed at the creaking sound. Of course, an old house like this would creak from old age. He shook his head and walked up the steps, trying to stay quiet, as not to disturb the local wildlife.

“Paranormal investigator’s log: Agent Mothman speaking. I’ve made it inside Zacross mansion, but who knows what terrors lie inside?” Dib spoke with a nervous quibble to his voice. He noticed a piano in the center of the room, and slowly but cautiously stepped toward it. As he lifted the hood, he could hear a faint wail. He quickly turned around, his pupils speeding around his eye at 200 mph. Dib's heart rate was rapidly increasing, and, letting go of the piano's hood, jumped at the sound of the hood falling. There was a horrid noise, almost like metallic scraping against wood. Something wet fell on the floorboards, and Dib looked up.

Up on the ceiling, with a disgusting smirk, was Zim. The Irken was hanging onto the ceiling using giant legs that came out of the oval-shaped device on his back. Zim detached from the ceiling and landed next to the panicked boy. “Funny running into you here, Dib-worm.” He sneered as he stood up, making Dib already more uncomfortable. “What do you want, Zim? Can’t you see I’m busy?!” Zim looked around before turning back to the human. “It doesn’t look like you’re busy.” He crossed his arms and smirked at Dib. Dib rubbed the space between his eyes, where his glasses sat on his nose. “I’m trying to solve a mystery, if you can’t tell.” “Uh huh.” The Irken replied, looking at him with an annoyed glare. He then smirked, as if he had a brilliant idea. He reached up for the boy’s glasses, and took them off, holding them up in the air as the PAK legs started to extend. “Can’t hunt ghosts if you can’t see, right Dib?” “Give me my glasses back, Zim!” Dib yelled angrily while trying to get his glasses from the pesky alien. Zim dropped the seeing tool, and Dib rushed to catch them before they fell to the ground, jumping and falling on the floor. The alien laughed as Dib got up. The boy swung his briefcase at him and stormed off, wanting to get as far away as he could from the Irken.

For a while, there was a nice period of silence and it was peaceful. Dib half assumed that Zim had left, but the other half knew that the Irken wouldn’t give up that easily. Occasionally, he would look behind him, just to make sure the idiot wasn’t following him. “I can’t have him messing this up! He’ll scare off the ghosts!” He muttered under his breath, only to come face to face with the Irken, who was hanging upside down, with his PAK legs keeping him anchored. When Zim had first appeared, he had his disguise on -purplish-blue contacts with a black pompadour (possibly for when he was heading through town or the forest). But now he had taken it off, revealing his alien self to the human, but it wasn’t like it was new to Dib. He had already seen Zim without it before, on numerous occasions. “Still thinking about me, eh?” The alien asked. Dib glared at him and sighed, replying, “Only because I don’t want you to mess up this mission!” Zim’s PAK legs retracted (much to his dismay, because they drew in cobwebs from the ceiling), and he started to follow the boy again. “I heard you mutter something about me.” Dib panicked and looked at him. “I told you what I said, I don’t want you disturbing the ghosts!” The Irken’s antenna perked up. “Ghosts, eh? Maybe it’s a good thing I followed you, Dib-stink.” The human sighed and attempted to ignore the annoying alien, without much luck.

At the end of the long hallway they were walking in, there was a single door. Dib gasped and ran toward it, hoping to find ghosts (or at least something that would help him.) Zim noticed him running away and started to chase after him, thinking that Dib was trying to be rid of him (well he wasn’t _too_ off from the truth). Dib reached for the door handle, only for his hand to be slapped away from it. “I know you’re trying to run from me, Earth-smell. You can’t run away!” “Zim! I AM TRYING TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF WHAT HAPPENED TO A FAMILY HERE!” He shouted at the alien. Zim's eyes went wide with horror, and pointed at something with a shaky hand. The human looked behind him to see a ghost looking straight at them. It was a femine-looking spectre. She was giggling, and stopped when the boys looked at her. "Oh! Sorry! I just thought your arguing was humorous. I haven't had visitors in 58 years." Dib gasped and stood straight up. “Hello! My name’s Dib Membrane! I’m a paranormal investigator.” “He has enough space in his giant head to keep all of the research about the paranormal he’s done.” Zim nudged Dib in the arm while he said this. The human shoved him off as he turned back to the ghost. “Ignore him, please. He’s _really_ annoying. Don’t believe anything he says, either.” She stared at Zim for a while. "Oh. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you?", she asked. Zim seemed to be thinking of ways to avoid her question, when he gave up. "I... am Zim! You don't need to know anything else, go away now." He made a little shooing motion with his hand, which caught her attention. "Oh my gosh! What happened to your hand?" Zim looked at his hand, which he couldn't understand why there was such a big deal about it. "...what about my hand?" He asked, nervous about the spirit's answer. "You only have three fingers. Not five, like everyone else. Did something happen to cause that?" The alien shook his head and didn't answer, with an embarrassed expression. Dib turned back to the ghost, and asked, "Do you know any quiet areas where I could ask you some questions?" She nodded and left the hall, Dib following behind.


	2. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dib asks some questions to the ghost, and she tells him how she died.

"So what's your name, and how old were you when you died?" The boy asked. "My name is Lena Zacross. I was 15 years old when I met my...unfortunate...demise." She replied with a sad tone. "Do...do you remember HOW you died?" He pressed, scribbling down anything she told him. "I remember it like it was yesterday, sadly..."

_It was March 6, 1961, There was a thunderstorm outside. The thunder was loud and booming, and I sat on my bed, petting my cat. He jumped off, and walked into the hallway. I laid back down, and tried to get some shut-eye. I don't remember what time it was, but I do know it was after midnight. Earlier that day, my father had read from the newspaper that there was a murderer on the loose. It was all over the telly, too. We had moved to the United States from London to escape the crimes that had become commonplace. We hoped that MAYBE we wouldn't have such a high risk of experiencing a robbery, or getting murdered. I kept my curtains open, in fear of the criminal climbing onto my balcony and using my shut curtains as a hiding place. I thought it was a good idea. Oh, how wrong I was. I turned over in my bed, and my eyes went wide with fear when I saw the figure in the window. He had a horrid smile, and was holding an axe, smothered in blood. By the looks of it, I guessed that it was fresh. He punched my window, breaking it into a million little pieces. The man threw the axe onto the bed, and I jumped to the other side, in a panic. I screamed for my parents, and then…_

Lena shuddered audibly. "And then...what?" Dib asked, literally sitting on the edge of his seat. "Well, I died. The last thing I ever heard was the scream of my parents and brother." The boy set his notepad down, and sighed. "One thing I don't understand is, there were no records of where your family's bodies are. Do you have any idea where they could be?" Lena shifted uncomfortably. "The man threw the bodies into a lake nearby. That's why nobody could never find them." She gave him a cold stare. Dib felt a sudden cold breeze come through the room. "Excuse me for a minute." He told the spectre in an urgent tone. The boy stood up and walked out of the room.

Zim leaned against the door in curiosity. He didn't trust this "Lena", and he would make sure to stay wary of her until he left this mansion. Something about her seemed...off. It was almost like there were secrets she wasn't telling. He peered through the wall using an x-ray-like device that extruded from his PAK. The Irken studied her facial expressions while she told the Dib-human about her death. But as interesting as her story was, there were "plot holes", as him and the human's English teacher described the missing information. He retracted the device and paced back and forth in the hall, trying to make sense of this "tale" she was weaving. "She must think we're gullible. The Dib-worm may be foolish enough to believe her lies, but you cannot poison the brilliant mind of ZIM!" Zim muttered to himself. One thing was still on his mind, however. Her comment about his hands earlier was still fresh in his brain, and he looked at his hands consciously. It had never occurred to him that humans have five fingers, as opposed to the three fingers that Irkens have. During the past 3 years, Dib had always used his missing facial features as a way to attack and expose him. Never once were his hands part of the insults and attacks. But Lena had only noticed his hands, not his magenta eyes, or his hook-shaped antennae. "When Dib comes out, I need to talk to him about Lena."

As if he had summoned him, Dib opened the door, looking more frightened than ever. He had sped up, and was too far away from the alien to catch up with him. Lena wasn't telling him something. Where are the spirits of her family? Why is she haunting the mansion? These two questions swam around in the boy's head while he took a walk around the halls. "Maybe I'm overthinking this. Maybe everything is fine. But why would Lena act suspicious like that?"

"Where is your friend going?" A friendly voice shook Zim out of his thoughts. Lena was floating behind him, her facial expression a concerned one. "I really don't know. The Dib-stink confuses me sometimes." He replied, standing as still as possible. Suddenly, there was a cold feeling within his antennae. Lena's pale, ghostly fingers were rubbing against an antenna, and Zim swatted her hand away, or, at least TRIED to. Since she was a ghost, Zim's hand went straight through hers. He let out a scream, which caught Dib's attention.

He hurried back to where the alien was. Besides, they really needed to leave. They had school tomorrow. "Zim? Are you ok?" He asked, listening closely to see if the alien would respond. He was being more...quiet...than usual, and Dib was freaked out a bit. Never in the 3 years he'd know the Irken had he ever heard him be so silent. He was always either yelling his name, or screaming at people that "YOU LIE!" He had been told that many times by the alien. "Zim? Where are you? I'm getting a little bit paranoid about this place and I need you to come out." "Earthboy! Down here!" Dib turned his head at the familiar nickname. "Zim?" He looked down to see a frightened Zim hiding under the piano in the foyer. "Zim, what's going on?" Zim shushed him and looked side-to-side before speaking. "We need to leave." He stood up and grabbed the boy's wrist. "Well, yeah, we have school tomorrow, so we do need to leave." The Irken shot him a glare that made his blood run cold. "You don't understand, Dib. There's something off about this place." As the duo approached the door, Lena was floating in front of it. "Sorry Lena, but we have to leave. I'll come back another day, though!" Dib yelled behind him, the alien speeding up. Lena stared at the alien and human and smirked. _Oh yes, you will come back soon._


	3. Meetup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zim starts to get suspicious of Lena, and tries to warn Dib about the ghost, but, of course, the human doesn't listen.

Mr. Liner took a piece of chalk and started writing on the board. "Today, class, we'll be talking about the history of ghosts." Zim shivered, remembering his encounter over the weekend with the Lena-ghost. He looked over at the Dib-human, watching him scribble down notes on his paper. He wanted to tell him about Lena, but he knew the human wouldn't listen to him. "Ghosts are said to be the spirits of those who have died or passed on..." Mr. Liner droned on, Zim ignoring him. He tore a piece of paper out of his notebook and wrote a message on in. He folded it up, leaned over, and put in Dib's coat pocket. Zim sat straight up in his seat before Mr. Liner could notice him. Dib didn't seem to notice or even acknowledge the alien's note. He met Zim's gaze and returned a confused face. Zim made an unfolding motion with his hands, and Dib took out the note that Zim had given him. Unsure of what the Irken had written, he read the note. Dib-stink! Meet me by the tree after school! It's of utmost importance! Dib heard a cough, and looked up to see an irritated Mr. Liner. "Passing notes in class, eh Mr. Membrane? I thought you'd be interested in this particular subject." "No, Mr. Liner, I-I wasn't passing notes! I AM genuinely interested!" The teacher gave him a look that said, "Screw around more and you’re going to the Principal’s office for the 7th time if you keep it up." "Anyway, class, back to today’s lesson…" He announced, shooting Dib a glare as he turned around. Why would the Irken need to talk to him? The only time he’d needed Dib’s help was during the Tak invasion, and that one time that he’d accidentally transported both of them to that nightmare dimension in elementary. He’d rather forget about that time. He would have to see what was so concerning later on. Right now, he needed to pay attention and finish his notes. After school let out, Dib looked at the tree in front. Sure enough, the Irken was standing right there, leaning against it. During his time on Earth, it seemed like he had picked up on some habits from their classmates. When he first came to Earth, he was extremely stiff, and when he walked, he had a military-like bounce to his steps. Dib was cautious when approaching Zim. Even though the alien had calmed down quite a bit during the past 3 years, he was still...well, a bit insane. "Ok, Zim." The Irken looked up at him. "Ok, Dib-worm, let's get to business. I don't think you should go to that mansion anymore. There's something about the Lena-ghost that just seems...off, and mysterious." Dib rolled his eyes. "Of course she's mysterious, Zim. She's a GHOST, for God's sake. Lena's the only REAL ghost I've ever come across." He shot Zim a nasty glare as he said that last sentence, remembering when Zim had tried to trick him into thinking he was a ghost. "You don't understand, Dib-stink! The Lena-ghost wants to-" "Zim, enough. I've already promised the Swollen Eyeball network that I'd get proof that ghosts exist. And besides, why would I take advice from YOU, of all the creatures on this planet? What do YOU know about the supernatural or paranormal?" Dib turned on his heel and walked off, not looking at Zim even once as he left. It was a good thing that Dib had mapped out his route to the Zacross Mansion. He was still ticked off at Zim about their encounter earlier. "...shouldn't trust Lena...what kind of idiot does that...IDIOT...think I am?!" He fumed, kicking rocks on the way. He knocked on the door of the mansion, waiting for Lena to answer it. A ghostly hand reached out and gave him a thumbs up, which Dib assumed was her telling him to come in. Sure enough, Lena was smiling when he opened the door. "I'm sorry, Dib. I can't open the door physically. Hey, where's your friend? The green boy that was with you yesterday?" Dib sighed. "He didn't want to come, and besides, I never invited him in the first place." The door shut behind him, causing him to jump. Lena giggled, which sent a chill down Dib's spine. "...Lena? You ok?" She sighed. "Yes, everything's fine. I'm sure you have many more questions for me. About being a ghost, what the afterlife is like." Suddenly, Dib's butt was shoved into a chair, which hadn't been under him a second ago. "What the-" "Have a seat, Dib. Would you like something to eat?" Dib raised a finger as if to protest. "Actually, I ate earlier at lunch. But thank you for the offer." She smiled and turned away. Dib twiddled his thumbs for a few seconds before speaking again. Whenever he fought with Zim, he always knew snappy comebacks or puns to insult the space-bug with, but this was different. This was a ghost he was dealing with. He didn't know what Lena could do or what would tick her off. "Now, I have a couple questions for you, Dib. Who was that little green boy with you? Why did he look...strange?" The boy sighed. "Zim is an alien invader who wants to conquer the Earth. He's horrible at his job, though." "Hmmm...have you ever considered asking for help to expose him?" "Yes, I have, and it's always backfired on me. We're on more friendly terms now, however." Lena smirked devilishly, thinking of a horrible, sneaky idea. Dib's smart-watch beeped, signifying that he needed to leave. "Ok Lena, I've gotta go home now. I've got a lot of homework to do, and I _really_ don't want to get detention again." He headed out the door, not even saying goodbye to the spectre.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aight everyone I'm gonna be taking a small break from this fic until I write more of my Portal fic


End file.
